With the 2025 NFL season set to officially end this weekend, the Carolina Panthers will now begin to address some of the key issues on the roster this offseason.

One of the main challenges that general manager Dan Morgan will face is the wide receiver position, particularly with the 2024 first-round pick, Xavier Legette. While the former highly-touted receiver has struggled to make an impact over the last two seasons, a former NFL star, Chad Johnson, still sees the potential in Legette.

When talking to Panthers’ beat writer Sheena Quick earlier this week, Johnson mentioned that Legette will work out with him this offseason.

“[Legette] is coming to me in the offseason, he’s going to be alright,” Johnson stated. “I guarantee you that he will be already. He’s special. He just needs someone to unlock the specialty that I can see from far away.”

The opportunity to work with an NFL legend like Johnson will be a perfect chance for Legette to revive his career. In his 11 seasons at the professional level, Johnson managed to record over 11,000 receiving yards and 67 touchdowns, while also being a two-time All-Pro in 2005 and 2006.

Legette, on the other hand, has failed to reach the high expectations many set upon the young playmaker.

After being selected in the first round in the 2024 NFL Draft, Legette was unable to produce quality numbers as a rookie, finishing with 497 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 49 catches. This led to the Panthers selecting wideout Tetairoa McMillan in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, while also serving as a wake-up call to Legette.

Unfortunately for the former South Carolina standout, Legette once again struggled this past year, tallying just 363 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 35 catches.

Luckily for Carolina fans, Johnson restated that he is a special player and that he needs “just a month” to work with Legette this offseason.

“He’s going to be okay,” Johnson reiterated. “He’s a special dude, and someone just has to unlock that [potential], and I can do that. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes that he already trains with; I just need him for a month.”

If Johnson is able to unlock the potential that many NFL scouts saw in him during his time in college, Legette could easily become the missing piece that the Panthers desperately need on offense. Outside of McMillan and rising star Jalen Coker, the organization lacks reliable pass catchers. But a resurgence of Legette’s career could easily solve this issue for the foreseeable future.

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